Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 27:41/רמב"ן על בראשית כ״ז:מ״א

אוַיֹּאמֶר עֵשָׂו בְּלִבּוֹ אָמַר רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם (אבן עזרא על בראשית כ"ז:מ"א) יִתָּכֵן שֶׁגָּלָה סוֹדוֹ לְאֶחָד מֵאוֹהֲבָיו. וְאֵין צֹרֶךְ, כִּי הַהַסְכָּמָה בְּדָבָר אֲשֶׁר יִמָּלֵךְ אָדָם עִם לִבּוֹ תִּקָּרֵא אֲמִירָה עִם הַלֵּב, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בָּהּ דִּבּוּר בַּשְּׂפָתַיִם. וְכֵן "בְּלֵב וָלֵב יְדַבֵּרוּ" (תהלים יב ג), כִּי הָרָצוֹן יִקָּרֵא "לֵב", "וְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵב אֶחָד לְהַמְלִיךְ אֶת דָּוִד" (דהי"א יב לח), שֶׁהָיוּ כֻּלָּם עַל אוֹתָהּ הַהַסְכָּמָה וְהָיוּ מְדַבְּרִים בָּהּ. וְכֵן "וַיֹּאמֶר יָרָבְעָם בְּלִבּוֹ" (מלכים א יב כו), וְכֵן אָמַר אֱלִיעֶזֶר (בראשית כ"ד:מ"ה) "אֲנִי טֶרֶם אֲכַלֶּה לְדַבֵּר אֶל לִבִּי", וְהָיְתָה שָׁם תְּפִלָּה בִּשְׂפָתָיו "וַיֹּאמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם" (שם יב), אֲבָל "טֶרֶם אֲכַלֶּה לְדַבֵּר אֶל לִבִּי" – טֶרֶם הַשְׁלִימִי מָה שֶׁעָלָה בְּדַעְתִּי. וְיֹאמַר כָּאן כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר בָּאָה מַשְׂטֵמָה גְּדוֹלָה בְּנֶפֶשׁ עֵשָׂו לִשְׂטֹם אֶת יַעֲקֹב עַל הַבְּרָכָה, עָלָה בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁיַּהֲרֹג אֶת אָחִיו וְהָיָה מִתְנַחֵם בָּזֶה מֵרֹעַ לִבּוֹ. וְזֶה טַעַם "וַיֻּגַּד לְרִבְקָה אֶת דִּבְרֵי עֵשָׂו", וּלְכָךְ אָמְרָה "מִתְנַחֵם לְךָ". וְרַשִׁ"י כָּתַב (רש"י על בראשית כ"ז:מ"ב), בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ הֻגַּד לָהּ מָה עֵשָׂו מְהַרְהֵר בְּלִבּוֹ. וְכֵן בִּבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה ס"ז:ט'). וְאִם כֵּן יִהְיֶה "דִּבְרֵי עֵשָׂו", מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ עִם הַלֵּב, כְּמוֹ "דִּבַּרְתִּי אֲנִי עִם לִבִּי" (קהלת א טז). וְהִנֵּה עֵשָׂו הָיָה אוֹמֵר "יִקְרְבוּ יְמֵי אֵבֶל אָבִי", כִּי בְּחַיָּיו לֹא יְצַעֲרֶנּוּ, אוֹ מִפַּחְדּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יְקַלְּלֶנּוּ וְתֵהָפֵךְ בִּרְכָתוֹ לִקְלָלָה. וְרִבְקָה פָּחֲדָה שֶׁמָּא יָמוּת הַזָּקֵן פִּתְאוֹם וְיַהַרְגֶנּוּ, אוֹ שֶׁמָּא יִזְדַּמֵּן לוֹ בְּחַיָּיו וְיַהַרְגֶנּוּ:

1AND ESAU SAID IN HIS HEART. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said, “It is possible that he revealed his secret to one of his friends.”²⁴⁷But this is not necessarily so for any decision which a person reaches after deliberation is referred to in Hebrew as “speaking with the heart,” even when it also includes speech with the lips. A similar case is found in the verse, And with a double heart do they speak,²⁴⁸ for the will is synonymous with the heart. And all Israel were of one heart to make David king,²⁴⁹ meaning that they had all arrived at the same decision and were talking of it. Similarly, And Jeroboam said in his heart.²⁵⁰, (Verse 28). Here also there was speech which Scripture had referred to as being said in his heart. Similarly did Eliezer say, And before I had finished speaking in my heart,²⁵¹ whereas the prayer there was with his lips, as Scripture states, And he said, O Eternal G-d of my lord Abraham.²⁵², Verse 12. However it is possible that the expression, before I had finished speaking in my heart, means “before I had concluded the thought in my mind.”Now here the verse states that when the great hatred of Jacob permeated Esau’s soul because of the blessing, he conceived the idea of murdering his brother, and with this he comforted himself from his depressed state. This explains the verse, And the words of Esau were told to Rebekah.²⁵³ This is why she said to Jacob, Thy brother Esau comforts himself to slay thee.²⁵⁴Now Rashi comments, “She was told, through Ruach Hakodesh,²³¹ what Esau was thinking in his heart.” And so it is found in Bereshith Rabbah.²⁵⁵ If so, Esau’s words and thoughts were only in his heart, just as in the verse, I spoke with my own heart.²⁵⁶The reason that Esau said, Let the days of mourning for my father be at hand then will I slay my brother is because he would not bring grief to his father during his lifetime. Perhaps it was due to his fear lest his father curse him, and his blessing would then turn into a curse. Rebekah, [who nevertheless advised Jacob to flee], feared that perhaps the elderly one would die suddenly, and Esau would then kill Jacob, or perhaps he might find occasion to kill him even during Isaac’s lifetime.